1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a simplification of the attachment of a heat dissipation device to a substrate, and more specifically relates to eliminating the need for a complex hardware structure to attach a heat dissipation device to a substrate, and allowing the use of irregularly shaped fins on the heat dissipation device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In many data processing systems (e.g., computer systems, programmable electronic systems, telecommunication switching systems, control systems, and so electrical components (e.g., power semiconductors, processor chips) that dissipate several watts are used. Such power dissipation can easily overheat an electrical component and cause a permanent or a temporary failure in operation. Therefore, the body of a high power dissipation electrical component is frequently thermally coupled to a heat dissipation device (e.g., a heat-sink, a heat-pipe, a fluid cooling system, a cooling fan, or an equivalent device).
However, such heat dissipation devices are frequently not able to cool such electrical components to an optimized extent. One fundamental reason for non-optimum cooling is that a hardware structure is frequently needed to hold the heat dissipation device mounting screws, washers, and compression springs in a subsystem for assembly on a substrate or an equivalent platform. Furthermore, such a hardware structure usually constrains the dimensions of the fins of a heat dissipation device because of the mounting screw positions in the hardware structure.
There are several problems with conventional solutions for cooling electrical components. For example, conventional cooling solutions have trouble with cooling electrical components located in limited irregular spaces, since the fins of the heat dissipation device are normally constrained to a rectangular dimensioned fin area that may be far smaller than the area available for an irregularly shaped fin. Furthermore, conventional hardware structures typically obstruct the airflow in at least some directions over the electrical components, when increasing power dissipation levels in data processing systems are increasing the airflow needed to keep these data processing systems sufficiently cool. Therefore, conventional cooling solutions do not optimize the total cooling fin surface area by utilizing irregular fin geometries, and are not rotationally independent with respect to facilitating airflow. Furthermore, conventional cooling solutions typically require a hardware structure with a large part count and a considerable amount of labor for assembly.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional hardware structure for attaching the heat dissipation fins of a heat dissipation device to a substrate. The heat dissipation device comprises a vertically stacked plurality of rectangular heat dissipation fins 108, which are enclosed by a hardware structure 114. The hardware structure 114 includes two or more walls 118 (one is shown), and the hardware structure is typically fabricated of the same metal as the heat dissipation device. The hardware structure 114 holds a plurality of screws 120 (typically four long screws are used) and screw springs 111 to attach a base 106 of the heat dissipation device to the substrate (not shown). The walls 118 provide rigidity to the hardware structure, but the walls 118 also reduce or block airflow that is perpendicular to the walls 118, thus restricting the placement and orientation of the heat dissipation device for achieving effective forced airflow convective cooling.
Conventional solutions for cooling electrical components involve a variety of unattractive remedies, none of which is in widespread use. The most obvious conventional solution to improve the electrical component cooling is a new hardware structure design with much larger dimensions. Unfortunately, this would tax the system design with new constraints, such as increased size and a more expensive heat dissipation device hardware structure attachment.
It would be desirable to provide an optimized cooling solution that is less expensive and more manufacturing-friendly, for attaching a heat dissipation device to a component mounted on a substrate or an equivalent platform.
An object of the present invention is to provide an optimized cooling solution that is less expensive and more manufacturing-friendly, for attaching a heat dissipation device to a component mounted on a substrate or an equivalent platform.
A first aspect of the invention is directed to a method to assemble a component having a heat dissipation device with a plurality of heat dissipation fins on a substrate. The method includes attaching the heat dissipation device to the component, wherein one or more of the plurality of heat dissipation fins of the heat dissipation device have one or more holes to substantially retain one or more connectors to connect the heat dissipation device to the substrate, placing the heat dissipation device and the component on the substrate, attaching the heat dissipation device and the component to the substrate using one or more connectors, and placing one or more hardware retainer shims on one of the heat dissipation fins.
A second aspect of the invention is directed to a method to assemble an electrical component having a heat dissipation device with a plurality of heat dissipation fins on a substrate. The method includes attaching the heat dissipation device to the electrical component, wherein one or more of the plurality of heat dissipation fins of the heat dissipation device have one or more holes to substantially retain one or more connectors to connect the heat dissipation device to the substrate; placing the heat dissipation device and the electrical component on the substrate; placing one or more hardware retainer shims on one of the plurality of heat dissipation fins; and attaching the heat dissipation device and the electrical component to the substrate using the one or more connectors.
A third aspect of the invention is directed to an assembled substrate. The assembled substrate includes a substrate having a plurality of conductive contacts; an electrical component having a plurality of leads; a heat dissipation device attached to the electrical component, wherein the heat dissipation device includes a plurality of heat dissipation fins with holes to retain one or more connectors designed to attach the heat dissipation device to the substrate; and one or more hardware retainer shims placed on one of the plurality of heat dissipation fins.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings.